#64 – Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: A Book Review Pt. 1

23 Mar #64 – Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life: A Book Review Pt. 1

Matt and Scott brave new territory on the podcast with their first book review, Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. In part one of this two-part episode, they walk through three of these rules and how they’ve found them to be true — or not — in their own lives as coaches, as trainees, and as humans.

Rule 1 – Stand up straight with your shoulders back

Many of us who barbell train have experienced the literal benefits to our posture – the stronger us is able to stand up straighter, for longer, and walk confidently without stooping or hunching. But there are more profound benefits as well. We learn to carry ourselves in a room with more presence and cultivate gravitas, which is a simple byproduct of having taken difficult, meaningful steps toward self-improvement.

Rule 6 – Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world

This one is pretty self-explanatory, be careful before casting stones.

Rule 7 – Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)

We see this lesson time and again in our training. We don’t squat because it is easy, or fast, we squat because it is both hard and effective. The difficulty of the movement means it is not expedient, and the strength adaptations give it meaning. Extending this to our lives, can we say the same thing for the causes we support and the careers we pursue? Perhaps they are difficult, but are they meaningful? Is there value in doing hard things which are not meaningful?

SSC of the Week – Emily Socolinsky

Emily is the owner of Fivex3 Training, a Starting Strength Gym, wheres she and her husband Diego (also an SSC) train the people of Baltimore and beyond to get strong and healthy. Check her out here: